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Academic Evolution: The Open Scholar
Precisely what I was talking about at the AAAS conference yesterday! Working in the open, open teaching, open learning. Not just for students (except in the sense that we are all students.
Neuromodulation and Neural Plasticity
Neuromodulatory synaptic transmission differs from classical chemical synaptic transmission in both mechanism and function. The function of a classical synapse is to convey information rapidly from the presynaptic neuron to its target cell, producing a short-term effect. The neuromodulatory synapse may do the same initially, but its primary function is to transmit information that will have long-lasting effects on the postsynaptic neuron's metabolic activity, and on its response to subsequent input. These effects are fundamental to the development and adaptation of the nervous system, and are believed to be the basis of such higher functions as learning and memory.
Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind
A study in the philosophy of science, proposing a strong form of the doctrine of scientific realism' and developing its implications for issues in the philosophy of mind.
‘Two cultures’ turns 50
"The number of literary intellectuals who know the second law is probably slightly higher than in Snow’s time, thanks to writers like Thomas Pynchon and Tom Stoppard, who have incorporated it into their work. And certain new scholarly fields, such as science and technology studies, span the two cultures. Yet these are small developments that leave the two poles essentially intact. The pertinence of the phrase “two cultures” continues; the science kids and the humanities kids, as it were, still sit at different tables in the lunchroom. Anosognosia still afflicts them both, as well as the shameless asymmetry in which “culture” is associated mainly with humanities education. Most disturbingly, however, the nagging continued relevance of Snow’s phrase should force us to rethink our intended solutions to today’s moral concerns, including energy policy, global warming, and genetic engineering."
Born believers: How your brain creates God - science-in-society - 04 February 2009 - New Scientist
That's not to say that the human brain has a "god module" in the same way that it has a language module that evolved specifically for acquiring language. Rather, some of the unique cognitive capacities that have made us so successful as a species also work together to create a tendency for supernatural thinking. "There's now a lot of evidence that some of the foundations for our religious beliefs are hard-wired," says Bloom.
Can Experiences be Passed On to Offspring?
"Mothers who receive mental training before they become pregnant can pass on its cognitive benefits to their young, Tufts University School of Medicine researchers have found." via @sleslie
The gospel according to Darwin
"Why Evolution Is True is outstandingly good. Coyne’s knowledge of evolutionary biology is prodigious, his deployment of it as masterful as his touch is light. His coverage is enviably comprehensive, yet he simultaneously manages to keep the book compact and readable. His nine chapters include “Written in the Rocks”, laced with examples that make short work of the most popular of all creationist lies, the one about unbridgeable “gaps” in the fossil record: “Show me your intermediates!”, say the creationists. Jerry Coyne shows them, and very numerous and convincing they are."
Al Jazeera English - Americas - Climate change 'worse than feared'
"We are basically looking now at a future climate that is beyond anything that we've considered seriously in climate policy,"
On 'Darwin Day,' many Americans beg to differ | csmonitor.com
"The latest tactic by evolution opponents – 'academic freedom' laws – recently scored its first major victory." SIGH.
Win Ben Stein's mind - Roger Ebert's Journal
Roger Ebert (!) on Ben Stein and Creationism .... Ebert continues to rise in my estimation, moving outside of film commentary. Well done! via @Braddo
'Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius' by Hans C. Ohanian - Los Angeles Times
Not sure if I can read another Einstein book soon, but this looks like a good candidate for the next one...
Put a Little Science in Your Life (Brian Greene)
'Like a life without music, art or literature, a life without science is bereft of something that gives experience a rich and otherwise inaccessible dimension.' I know, I'm all about the NYT tonight...
ScienceRoll Medical Search - Medical Search and Clustering Engine
Scienceroll Medical Search is a personalized medical metasearch engine.
Global warming deniers
A fantastic article. I wonder why some people are so committed to ignoring the obvious? What motivates them?
McGee’s Musings : Free Physics Textbook: Motion Mountain
via Stephen Downes, a unique CC licensed physics textbook that trad publishers would likely never touch. "It’s what a physics textbook would be like if a poet wrote it and made no mistakes. The book is massively visual. There is minimal math. It’s
Creating Life-Size Molecules in Second Life
Despite his initial skepticism, in 2007 Bradley helped establish Drexel's presence in Second Life, Drexel Island, and used Second Life last semester to augment portions of his Introduction to Organic Chemistry course. He has blogged extensively about his
How Things Work - How Things Work Home Page
Explaining the physics of everyday life. Fascinating reading...
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